As I write these lines in June 2024, a little more than five years remain to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 43% (using the 2005 baseline), as prescribed by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). During this Super Election Year, experts are calculating the potential consequences of the European Union (EU) Parliament election results for the future of the European Green Deal. November elections in the United States (US) portend a similarly significant effect on its climate policy measures. In both cases, the newly elected leaders must act boldly. Their decisions will be crucial, as we strive to reach primary COP 28 goals, tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency annually between now and 2030. As United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres asserts, this is our final chance to find the global “exit ramp off the highway to climate hell.”
Against that backdrop, 12 students from Europe and the US offer their policy statements for accelerating climate change mitigation with bold action in the EU, US, and globally. They focus our attention on sectoral approaches, proposing action capable of helping us turn the corner on GHG emissions by 2030. Their proposals deserve our close attention.
In the context of their work in a course on EU and US Climate Change Mitigation during the spring of 2024 at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, these guest experts expanded our knowledge base and provided invaluable insights:
Transportation: Two policy statements strive to accelerate the transition from road to rail. Simon Bettstein proposes a timeline for implementing the Trans-European Transport Network (EU TEN-T network), featuring enhanced ticketing, interoperability, and passenger rights. Jane Rechner promotes improved US regional rail transportation and highlights replicable EU best practices. The next pair call for accelerating e-mobility. Hayden Carbine urges the EU and US to share e-mobility best practices, including blended financing and carbon pricing. Julia Gantner posits e-battery recycling as a key component in maximizing e-vehicle efficiency and attractiveness. Bobbie Szabad urges reduced urban motorized mobility and offers five proposals to quicken the transition to auto-free EU cities. In the final policy statement in this group, Verche Georgievska recommends green labeling and travel taxation to bolster sustainable tourism.
Industry: Apoorva Sannasi cites the potent danger of F-gases, proposes improvements to their regulation in the EU, and encourages similar regulatory mechanisms in the US. Two additional policy statements focus on circularity. Ilina Karri promotes enacting federal Right to Repair legislation and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs in the United States. Lucrezia Bianchi offers proposals for improved EU business recycling and waste management with an EU Circular Economy Action Plan timeline.
Residential and Commercial: Julia Zdeb recommends improved blended financing and higher standards for privately financed housing to reduce GHG emissions in US residential and commercial construction. Rachel Zhou promotes expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) with community solar projects to reduce energy burdens in low-income households and replicating the initiative globally.
Agriculture: Greta Kämper proposes a shift to more plant-based diets and suggests more targeted and comprehensive EU policies to accelerate the transition.
As you read the policy statements, consider other options to group them. Also, contemplate the effect of implementing their proposals by 2030. Above all, use them as a catalyst for your own recommendations for the big and bold action we need now!
Against that backdrop, 12 students from Europe and the US offer their policy statements for accelerating climate change mitigation with bold action in the EU, US, and globally. They focus our attention on sectoral approaches, proposing action capable of helping us turn the corner on GHG emissions by 2030. Their proposals deserve our close attention.
In the context of their work in a course on EU and US Climate Change Mitigation during the spring of 2024 at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, these guest experts expanded our knowledge base and provided invaluable insights:
- Christina Voigt, UNFCCC PAICC Co-Chair
- Dr. Martin Frick, Director, World Food Programme Global Office in Berlin
- Claudia Kettner-Marx, Senior Economist at the Austrian Institute of Economic Research (WIFO)
- Bernhard Zlanabitnig, Vice President of the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and Head of the EU Environment Bureau in Vienna
- Günter Hörmandinger, Senior Expert, EU Commission Secretariat General
- Antonis Sfakiotakis, Policy Coordinator EU Commission Secretariat General
- Warren Lavey, University of Illinois College of Law
- Robert Trapp, University of Illinois Director of the School of Earth, Society and Environment and Professor of Atmospheric Sciences
- Connor Murray, Political Director, Council for a Livable World
- Danika Ford and Rudy LeFave, President and Vice President, University of Illinois Students for Environmental Concerns
- Brady Watson, Senior Campaign Coordinator, Union of Concerned Scientists Climate & Energy Program
- Florensia Bhara, Project Associate, UN Industrial Development Organization
- Charis Lypiridis, Finance Specialist,
- World Bank Climate Change Group
Transportation: Two policy statements strive to accelerate the transition from road to rail. Simon Bettstein proposes a timeline for implementing the Trans-European Transport Network (EU TEN-T network), featuring enhanced ticketing, interoperability, and passenger rights. Jane Rechner promotes improved US regional rail transportation and highlights replicable EU best practices. The next pair call for accelerating e-mobility. Hayden Carbine urges the EU and US to share e-mobility best practices, including blended financing and carbon pricing. Julia Gantner posits e-battery recycling as a key component in maximizing e-vehicle efficiency and attractiveness. Bobbie Szabad urges reduced urban motorized mobility and offers five proposals to quicken the transition to auto-free EU cities. In the final policy statement in this group, Verche Georgievska recommends green labeling and travel taxation to bolster sustainable tourism.
Industry: Apoorva Sannasi cites the potent danger of F-gases, proposes improvements to their regulation in the EU, and encourages similar regulatory mechanisms in the US. Two additional policy statements focus on circularity. Ilina Karri promotes enacting federal Right to Repair legislation and implementing Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs in the United States. Lucrezia Bianchi offers proposals for improved EU business recycling and waste management with an EU Circular Economy Action Plan timeline.
Residential and Commercial: Julia Zdeb recommends improved blended financing and higher standards for privately financed housing to reduce GHG emissions in US residential and commercial construction. Rachel Zhou promotes expanding the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) with community solar projects to reduce energy burdens in low-income households and replicating the initiative globally.
Agriculture: Greta Kämper proposes a shift to more plant-based diets and suggests more targeted and comprehensive EU policies to accelerate the transition.
As you read the policy statements, consider other options to group them. Also, contemplate the effect of implementing their proposals by 2030. Above all, use them as a catalyst for your own recommendations for the big and bold action we need now!
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